The Night Banquet
by BWfanfic
Summary: A very short story of Princess Sofia at a banquet party.


THE NIGHT BANQUET

Princess Sofia was busy engaging the royal guests at the party. In her kingdom, and in her kingdom alone, no one was a stranger. It might have been expected in a small village that no one would be a stranger, but Princess Sofia s father, Roland, had ensured that his kingdom was run much on the model of a small village, in this limited sense of everybody knowing everybody else.

A fairy tale kingdom, Roland s direction meant that nobody paid taxes, and nobody was in want of anything in particular, whether it was food, clothing, shelter, or even, for the well-to-do families, furniture. His wife Miranda often commented on the justness of his rule; he was a king that the people admired and loved. If Machiavelli were alive to see this, he would have had a heart attack.

Roland was as yet nowhere to be seen. Was he busy helping direct affairs in the kitchen; was that where he was? Princess Sofia herself was bustling around the ball room, handing out flyers to the guests which had printed information about the night s festivities. Outside the castle, in the well-lit outdoor area, near the swan fountain, there was a game room hastily set up, which was at first intended to be a place where the people could play games after dinner; and then changed to an arrangement where they would play during or after dinner.

It was certainly that sort of day at Princess Sofia s castle. Rather than arrange a stuffy dinner where everybody had to eat at the same time, they decided to do rotating shifts of work for the staff. The staff didn t mind this, as it meant that they would have a better opportunity to serve the same dishes at different times. It was a chance to cook and to have some of the meal left out to serve for anybody who wished to eat it later. So the cooking times were different, and therefore the meal was made a little easier for the chefs.

Everything hot was kept under glass covers, to preserve the heat of each dish. Princess Sofia noticed that one of the dishes was without a cover, and sent James, who she waved to from across the room, noticing him in that split second of time, gesturing that he should walk over to her, into the kitchen to retrieve one of these for the dish. Chicken breast, mashed potatoes, wilted greens, corn bread, all wonderful foods were available at the castle for the people to eat that night.

The fliers that Princess Sofia was carrying were now gone; she had handed them all out. She therefore stood to the side of the dinner table, watching all the guests who were on their feet dancing to the soft lilt of the music. Not all the guests, as already stated, were dancing, some eating, but every guest was apparently pleased with the food or the music, one or the other.

Ah; Roland makes his entrance. Nodding to Princess Sofia, who first catches his eye, he then winks at James who has returned from the kitchen. James was eager to try his hand at dancing, and so he had asked his older sister to dance with him. The two of them danced nearly in front of Princess Sofia.

Not in the mood for a dance, little one? Roland asked playfully. He was a king with a sense of humor. That may have been why he was so well-received at every event which he hosted.

Not now, Dad Princess Sofia said candidly. The day had been a busy one for the princess, but how could her father ever understand her adventures with Clover; how could her father ever believe that her amulet gave her the power to speak and frolick with animals, like friends?

No problem Roland drawled. I see that you were doing exactly as I told you, getting the people ready for the games after dinner. We ll have, as you well know, archery contests, and pin the tail on the donkey for the children. You can watch your father do a little bit of archery, can t you? Roland said, bending down to the side and nudging Princess Sofia in the elbow.

Of course! I love it when you use a bow and arrow Princess Sofia said honestly. They were the only weapons the kingdom could be said to have, and only the king could produce them through his royal smithery. Without any need for guards, the people felt relieved to know that they would never need to rise up in this fairy tale world. Whenever Roland insisted on an archery exercise, it was with Miranda beside him to give the appearance of a couple who were on the same page in all particulars.

Great, I ll see you then Roland said. He added to Princess Sofia that he was going to look for Baileywick, whose duties seemed to be lacking that night. Although every plate out of the kitchen was clean, it was noticed by a little more than a few guests that the utensils were less sparkling than usual.

Yes, I ve got to find the man at all costs Roland reported. 


End file.
